If Freddy can average over a point for every 90 he plays I see him making a late summer camp and if we've qualified early he'll probably get a cap as a sub. If he finishes the season as a 12+ goal scorer averaging over a point every 90 he will probably get a chance to play in a warm-up friendly. That warmup friendly is key, because if he turns into a Grown Ass Man in early 2006 I see Bruce bringing him over Martino. Lots of ifs but it's all up to Freddy and how well he plays and grows as a player and physically. Gaven on the other hand has a good shot to make the roster as an option at right mid, and as a backup to Landon and Damarcus.
Beasley has played on the right as a fill in, I would expect someone(someone other than Adu) to claim that spot by 2006. If not I'd expect to see the box over Bease or Adu on the right. I've seen enough of West to not get my hopes up. Maybe he's improved. He'll get his shot. Maybe Philipiakos(sp?)? He was suppose to be a starter for a better team in a better league than West before he was injured. Both are longshots, but they have a chance. I think Gaven has the best chance right now.
I recall reading a line from a Norwegian coach who compared the top tier of his league to EPL. If so, making an "All-Pro" list is akin to being a starter on a mid-table EPL team ... Brian deserves a look-see somewhere on the field. I keep forgetting him but right you are. If he gets in a solid year, a year and a half in Greece, I'd give him a chance to make it also. Me2. I think he'll most compatible with the foreign based roster insofar as his reading of the game and dribbling/finishing skills.
The World Cup team will be pretty much decided before the 2006 season starts. That's only about 2 months before they leave for Germany. I think Gold Cup is going to be almost all Euro based players, this will be their last big shot to impress Bruce if they haven't already done it. Arena will be able to field a top team with the YA's(Donovan in Germany). I don't think we will see any new MLS guys then that aren't already in Bruce's plans.
Things Adu needs to do before he starts for the US in 2006 1) Become a starter for DCU 2) Show he is one of the best players in the MLS 3) Play well in a couple of national team camps 4) Play well as a sub in a couple of national team games 5) show he can play a full 90 at an international level I hear so much hype about Adu and he looks so good in the highlights that I am invariably dissapointed whenever I watch him play in person. While he should show considerable improvement over the next year and a half, he is still a long way away from starting on the national team. If this were 1998 he could probably find a spot, but there are too many good young american players who will be also be improving between now and 06. He's not making the team as a novelty act (like the MLS all star game) he'll have to earn it. It's a little premature to speculate that a player who isn't starting for his MLS club team being a starter for the US national team within the next two years.
Considering that he seems annointed for USMNT status I would like to see him play U20 for at least one more season. Move him up as slowly as we can afford. Until then find someone besides Heijduk for right wing...
I gotta agree with this one. Having watched Adu the whole season and listened to all the talk about his future with the USMNT, a couple of things kept coming to mind. The biggest thing is that he looked pretty freakin' lost in the beginning of the season coming into games. It was obvious that he was going to need some time to get used to MLS (which I expected). But, I think it is important to remember that the transition from MLS to international play is a huge one...one that will require a similar period of adjustment. He came on stronger toward the end of the season and was consistently providing some assists, but only after he had half a season to get used to the game. I think Freddy has yet to really prove himself at the MLS level. Until he does that, I think we should be apprehensive about any talk of him playing with the full USMNT, let alone the World Cup. He has to learn how to run better of the ball. So many times during the year the camera would pan by him walking and not moving with any purpose. Some days I even would question his drive and desire to earn his reputation instead of be satisfied with the one that he was given.
A simple way to look at this is -- as long as Freddy is still coming off the bench as Eski's sub, and as long as Eski isn't getting national team minutes, don't count on Freddy being there in 06. Freddy would have to make the 06 squad as a striker or attacking midfielder. That's perhaps 4 of the 11 starting positions and 4 backup positions. He is competing for one of 8 roster spots. The competition is: 1. Donovan 2. Beasley 3. GAM (Johnson) 4. McBride 5. Wolff 6. Casey 7. Ching 8. Gavin 9. Lewis 10. Buddle 11. Klein 12. Olsen 13. Convey 14. Eski 15. Jones (yes, even Cobi) 16. Mapp ...and any number of others I have left out. As much as I REALLY want to see Freddy succeed as a US and international soccer phenom/star. The odds remain heavily against him making the US squad in 06. I don't see it happening.
He was certainly lost at the beginning, but he isn't any longer. I think you are wrong about his standing/walking/not moving. Yes, early on; not any longer. He has proven that he can compete in MLS. Now, to use your phrase, he must "really prove himself ..." He has shown several times that he can change games when he gets in. In part, this is because he has tended to come in late when the opposition is tired. But also, he deserves credit for the good work because of his foot skills and field vision. My biggest worry has actually been his lack of ball control on the dribble, something that has been his definitive strength. All too many times during the late season he did a lovely jig to beat an opponent only to lose the ball with a poor touch.
10 Jun - 2 Jul FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands that's for the u-20's and freddy needs to assert himself there..it'll be his 2nd u-20 tourney, given usa advances... freddy showed the abilities to excell at u-17 and u-20 levels...his growth at dc united against full grown men should NOT be discounted... they key in ADU is, he will continue to get better.... the gift he has is VISION, very special, and if you watched the last half of the mls season, there was tons of evidence, and then the ability to make the pass... anyone else also see nowak having him taking corners to dc united..and he wasn't all that bad...in fact pretty good for a kid... just watch the kid grow... he will be very special...very soon..
I'll probably be blamed for blatant homerism...and I'm not entirely convinced I'm not being a blatant homer, but I see Szetela making an impact on the full national team before Freddy.
Freddy will not play right mid in '06. If he is very very very very lucky, he'll make the roster. But I doubt it. Should be a shoe-in for 2010.
szetela has his battle with dempsey to make the squad in '06... adu offers the speed, get behind defenders arena likes in his attackers... adu could develop and replace wolff as the o-sub type.... look at the derth of speedy forwards to fill this role... wolff and cunningham are the guys right now who fit that model... not too difficult to see freddy emerge in that specific role..
For the official thread... 1 inch and 5 pounds thread (although I do not really follow him closely, he is under 18, you know, I leave the following to the teenage girls) (no, I do not follow the teenage girls, either, much)
Feel free to use the smilies or Yeah, and that "?" will be Troy Perkins. How often do these "Adu playing for the Nats" threads pop up? It's gotta be at least weekly.
Why are we placing such crazy numbers on Adu. Gaven and Dempsey didn't post numbers like that yet they have been invited to camp and have played in games and almost everyone assumes gaven and Dempsey will make Bruce's roster (not that they won't). IMHO, if he scores at least 9 goals and a decent number of assists and continues the progress he has made from this year, he'll get invited into a friendly camp. Whether or not he'll be part of roster come 2006 is unknown (although it looks rather unlikely). i think a lot of people are putting some unrealistic burdens on his back. I think he'll really start putting up impressive numbers in 2006 and by 2007/2008, he'll be gone. 2010 will be Adu's year to shine.
I agree 100% There are so many more that are simply just better then him. He may never get capped either. He's amazing for his age but not amazing in an open competition.
If he's healthy, he's a lock. He's great on the ball and has great vision. He set up Mathis for a goal in Japorea and then sprung Eddie Lewis down the left flank against Mexico that turned into a perfect cross to LD. There is no question he has top shelf footballing skills. What has kept him from a $6-8 million transfer fee to another Euro club has been injuries. Don't sleep on JOB. He improves the nats whenever he's on the field.
I wouldn't rule him out for 2006 because we just don't know. Let's see how he does next season with a year of professional experience under his belt. Let's see how he prepares during the offseason. He could be a monster next season. Four years ago, I scoffed at LD and DMB being able to make the 2002 team. I know Adu is younger, but it's not impossible.